Dear Friends,
On Monday night, I sang in a concert with new friends and old songs, as well as some very new songs! The weeks of rehearsals were a return to the joy of harmonizing, the challenge of correct timing, and falling in love with certain tunes or lyrics. The music and voices filled my heart and I’m sad to let them go… it’s like I lost an anchor. At the same time, I’m grateful for the experience and it’s meaning in my life.
One song in particular, actually a blending of two, was new to me. Titled, “Found/Tonight,” it’s origin and beauty offer a testament to hope. As you know from our 10 years of Glimmers together, hope guides our healing from loss. Not the wish-fulfillment kind of hope, but hope as a fundamental, transformative aspect of our humanity.
The song was birthed following the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, where a student-led organization created “March for Our Lives” to support gun control legislation. Lin-Manuel Miranda, of “Hamilton,” and his collaborator Alex Lacamoire combined songs from “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen” to create this beautiful anthem of hope. If you click on this link you’ll hear the voices of Miranda and Ben Platt soaring through your heart. And you’ll hear these words:
Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?
Well, let that lonely feeling wash away
All we see is light
‘Cause maybe there’s a reason to believe you’ll be okay
For forever
‘Cause when you don’t feel strong enough to stand
You can reach, reach out your hand
We, who have experienced loss, know the empty spaces it creates. We, who grieve consciously, have learned to surrender and trust the unfolding of our healing. We, who claim hope as a part of our DNA, can sing:
Even when the dark comes crashing throughWhen you need a friend to carry youWhen you’re broken on the groundYou will be found
You, my friends, are found. Its a privilege to journey with you, Lisa